April 15, 2021 jlaufer

 

The PBA Tour’s top 16 bowlers to compete for first place prize of $100K and WWE Championship title belt starting April 24th on FOX Sports

 

Milford, Conn. – The 16-player bracket is set for the 2021 Kia PBA Playoffs with Kyle Troup earning the top seed. Troup led the field in points with three-top seven finishes in majors this season including his victory in the PBA Players Championship. Troup was also the runner-up in the World Series of Bowling Scorpion Championship and added a fourth-place finish in the Roth/Holman Doubles with partner Jesper Svensson.

Troup leads a field of the Tour’s top 16 competitors that will compete for a $100K first-place prize, PBA Tour title, and a WWE Championship title in a head-to-head, bracket-style, race-to-two-games elimination tournament beginning April 24. Ties will be determined by a 9th/10th frame roll-off.

The First Round of 16 action kicks off on Saturday, April 24 at 11 a.m. ET on FOX Sports’ FS1 with two powerhouse matches of rising PBA stars. First up is top seed Troup vs. 16th seed Andrew Anderson.

Anderson, who finished 17th in points, earned a spot in the Playoffs due to Jason Belmonte opting not to participate, returning home to Australia for the birth of his fourth child. Belmonte was the 14th seed, and his withdrawal pushes Jason Sterner and Cristian Azcona into the 14th and 15th seeds, respectively.

Rounding out the first telecast is eighth seed Anthony Simonsen vs. ninth seed Thomas Larsen, who’s fresh off his first major win at the USBC Masters.

Defending champion Bill O’Neill earned the 12th seed in this year’s playoffs and will face fifth seed Jakob Butturff in the second Round of 16 telecast on Sunday, April 25 at 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Rounding out the field are Chris Via (No. 2), Tom Daugherty (No. 3), Francois Lavoie (No. 4), Jesper Svensson (No. 6), Kris Prather (No. 7), EJ Tackett (No. 10), Sam Cooley (No. 11), and Dick Allen (No. 13).

The top 16 players earned their spots in the Playoffs based on points accumulated at the following 2021 Guaranteed Rate PBA Tour Events: PBA Players Championship, Kia PBA Tournament of Champions, PBA World Series of Bowling XII (inclusive of all five events), USBC Masters, and the U.S. Open.

The TV schedule and matches are as follows:

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Saturday, April 24, 11 a.m. ET on FS1
No. 1 Kyle Troup vs. No. 16 Andrew Anderson
No. 8 Anthony Simonsen vs. No. 9 Thomas Larsen

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Sunday, April 25, 1:30 p.m. ET on FS1
No. 4 Francois Lavoie vs. No. 13 Dick Allen
No. 5 Jakob Butturff vs. No. 12 Bill O'Neill

Kia PBA Playoffs Round of 16 – Saturday, May 1, 11:30 a.m. ET on FS1
No. 2 Chris Via vs. No.15 Cristian Azcona
No. 7 Kristopher Prather vs. No. 10 EJ Tackett

Kia PBA Playoffs: Round of 16 – Sunday, May 2, 7 p.m. ET on FS1
No. 3 Tom Daugherty vs. No. 14 Jason Sterner
No. 6 Jesper Svensson vs. No. 11 Sam Cooley

Kia PBA Playoffs: Quarterfinals – Sunday, May 9, 12 p.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Round of 16

Kia PBA Playoffs: Quarterfinals – Monday, May 10, 8 p.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Round of 16

Kia PBA Playoffs: Semifinals – Saturday, May 15, 11 a.m. ET on FS1
Matches TBD after Quarterfinals

Kia PBA Playoffs: Finals – Sunday, May 16, 2 p.m. ET on FOX
Matches TBD after Semifinals

The 2021 PBA Playoffs competitors’ points are as follows:

  1. Kyle Troup - 17450
  2. Chris Via - 16406
  3. Tom Daugherty - 15430
  4. Francois Lavoie - 15045
  5. Jakob Butturff - 14361
  6. Jesper Svensson - 12115
  7. Kristopher Prather - 11520
  8. Anthony Simonsen - 11515
  9. Thomas Larsen - 10757.5
  10. EJ Tackett - 10645
  11. Sam Cooley - 9804
  12. Bill O'Neill - 9327.5
  13. Dick Allen – 9305
  14. Jason Sterner - 8710
  15. Cristian Azcona - 8205
  16. Andrew Anderson – 8120

Fans can catch all the action of the 2021 PBA Tour on FOX and Fox Sports’ FS1, and live stream the PBA on the FOX Sports and FOX NOW apps or at FOXSports.com. Select highlights will be available on @FOXSports social handles across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

The PBA’s main priority continues to be the health and safety of its players and staff. The PBA is taking all necessary precautions and following local and federal COVID-19 guidelines to reduce risks and modify procedures as needed. For a complete list of the PBA’s COVID-19 related standards and procedures, please visit PBA.com.

About the PBA
The Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) is the world’s preeminent organization dedicated to the sport of bowling and its professional competition, with thousands of members and millions of fans throughout the world. The PBA plays host to bowling’s biggest tournaments from the PBA Tour, PBA Regional Tour, and PBA50 Tour. In 2020, the PBA launched PBA Jr., a club for elite youth bowlers under the age of 17 and the PBA Pinsiders, a membership for fans of the sport. For more information, please visit PBA.com.

For Press Inquiries

[email protected]